Scams with eTA and ESTA

A consumer told us about the website "traveling-us.com/de" that offers highly overpriced visa for the US. We strongly advice to order visa and other documents on the website of the official authority only! The correct links are listed below in this article and are also available at the country information sites of the Austrian foreign ministry.

Update, 29.05.2018:

A consumer made us aware of a website that offers to organise Canadian visa (eTA) for 39 Euro. The official Canadian authority only charges seven Canadian dollars (appr. five Euro) for the same service!

We therefore strongly advise against applying for your visa on the website "canadatravel.online"! Instead, use the official website of the Canadian government: https://www.canada.ca/home.html

Please also read our tips below regarding a save application.

16.04.2018

Currently, lots of consumers tell us about the newest scams with ESTA applications.

Important note: None of those websites are operated by the official authority!

Overpriced

Their good appearance lets consumers believe that they are on the official website of the authority in charge. The application procedure for the ESTA document costs 88 US dollars. Well informed tourists may notice that this is highly overpriced. The document actually costs 14 USD. We don't know if consumers who pay receive a valid ESTA or any document at all.

Tips from your ECC

Find out which travel documents you need at the website of the Austrian Foreign Ministry (BMEIA) or of the respective embassy.

Don't search for the websites of the respective authority on Google! You may find all relevant official links in the travel information of the BMEIA.

Only apply for travel documents on those official websites and watch out for redirections while browsing. Check if the costs are realistic.

A consumer reported to us that she sent an e-mail with her complain to the trader. She explained that the ESTA application costs only 14 USD. The trader then refunded her the difference of 74 USD to her credit card.

Therefore, we recommend to contact the company via e-mail - with read confirmation - and to request a complete or partial refund of the paid price. If they refuse, you can ask your credit card company for a chargeback.